Water And Your Body

Winter or summer, it's hard to drink enough water.  Did you know that you could become dehydrated during the winter?  It's easy to understand knowing that the human body is approximately two-thirds water.  Getting enough water is necessary for healthy body functions, including: 

• Digesting food. 
• Lubricating joints - such as helping knees, wrists and elbows move smoothly. 
• Providing a cushion for organs and tissues - for example, the brain needs enough fluid to stay "afloat" and remain protected from bumps and jarring.
• Transporting nutrients and waste products - the blood needs to have enough fluid to have just the right "formula" that is necessary to transport nutrients.  Likewise, the intestinal tract needs enough fluid to move wastes through the body.
• Regulating body temperature - while this is especially important in the summer, it's also important in the winter, when dry heat can dry out skin and tissues.

What Happens When I Don't Drink Enough?

Drinking too little can cause mild dehydration, although most people don't realise they are dehydrated.  The symptoms of mild dehydration include: 

• Headache 
• Not as quick at solving problems or thinking through solutions (such as math problems or paper work).
• Fatigue 
• Lower your baseline muscular strength - for things as simple as opening a can with a can opener or completing your workout.

It's surprising that losing as little as five percent of your body's weight can cause the above symptoms.  For someone who weighs 70kgs, that's about 2 litres.  Losing 15 to 20 percent of your body weight as fluid can be fatal - which can happen during very hot weather, and/or to athletes working who do not drink enough water.

We lose about 2.5 litres of water daily through respiration, perspiration, digestion and urine.  Since the body does not store a lot of water, it must be replaced through food and fluids.  Many foods are high in water content - most fruits and vegetables are 80 to 90 percent water.  Following a balanced eating plan and drinking enough fluids both contribute to hydrating the human body adequately.

Thirst is not always an accurate indicator of whether or not you are thirsty.  In fact, the body's thirst mechanism does not kick in until you have lost five percent of body weight, an indicator of early dehydration.  Yes, the thirst mechanism is surprisingly inefficient!  The thirst mechanism becomes even less efficient with age.

Try these tips for staying hydrated: 

1. Drink 6 to 8 cups of water daily. Develop a routine - drink water when you wake up, at each meal, between meals and before bed.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, which contain loads of water.  Go for those recommended servings each day - they are recommended for your good health for many other reasons.
3. If you don't like the taste of plain water, add lemon or lime.
4. Sports drinks and diluted juices are good alternatives - as long as you keep track of your kilojoule intake.  Limit these drinks unless you exercise heavily.  Also, look for reduced kilojoule juices and sports drinks with limited amounts of kilojoules.  There are several good varieties available on the market.
5. Invest in a sturdy, insulated water bottle and keep it with you during the day and whenever you workout.  Have two cups of water around 1-2 hours before working out and 1/2 - 1 cup for every 15-20 minutes during exercise.

Check your urine - clear and light coloured urine and frequent urination indicates adequate hydration.  In other words, urine the colour of lemonade is one indicator that you are well hydrated, while urine the colour of apple juice means you might not be taking in enough fluid.